April Bookshelf Update

Poof! And just like that, one quarter of the year is gone. Time flies, especially when you're reading a good book, and I've read a handful of them over the last thirty days, how about you? Also, does this library not make you just squeal with delight (silently, of course)? Oh the treasures to be found lurking among those shelves, eh?

Photo by Susan Q Yin on Unsplash

1. A Fire at the Exhibition by T.E. Kinsey - ★★★★ Last month I primarily focused on books that would help me grow as a person, challenge me in some way, or give me much needed perspective. And that was good. But after all that depth, I started out the month of April with some equally enjoyable "cozy" British mysteries, including Lady Hardcastle Mysteries Book #10. Bicycles, art theft, murder, treasure hunting, and happy endings. And also...clean. Something I truly appreciate about this author. Four stars. {Amazon Associates Link}
2. A Matter of Murder by Ann Granger - ★★★★ Book two followed in the footsteps of book one in April. This is another author who offers relatively "soft" murders with good character development, enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, and, like the previous author, keeps it clean. This is book #7 in the "Campbell and Carter Mystery Series," and the author has two other series that I have put on my ever growing "List to Remember," but I have thoroughly enjoyed this "cozy" British mystery series. Almost like watching a BBC mystery...in a book. Four stars. {Amazon Associates Link} 
3. Openness Unhindered by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield - ★★ I know. Two stars. I just really liked her other books better. The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert? I had low expectations and was very pleasantly surprised. The Gospel Comes with a House Key? Absolutely loved it (and probably, if you were only going to read one book of hers, this would be the one I would hand you). But this one? Meh. It was written three years before House Key, and contains stories that are told again (and better) in House Key. There were ideas in this book that just didn't click with me (despite highlighting quite a bit as I read it). Two stars. {Amazon Associates Link}
4. The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan - ★★★★ I love books like this one, because I feel like there are so many events in history that are glossed over (or missed entirely) in school history books, focusing instead on the "big" events (like discovering new countries or world wars). This book covers the dirty thirties in the U.S., as a large portion of the country was affected, not only by the Great Depression, but by a decade of dust, disaster, death, and destruction, including "Black Sunday" and the realities of "dust pneumonia." Egan does a fantastic job of setting the scene and following the stories of several individuals and families in the southwestern Great Plains during the "Dust Bowl" decade. Four stars. {Amazon Associates Link}
5. When the Astors Owned New York by Justin Kaplan - ★★★ This was a real toss-up between two and three stars. I settled on three in the end, because even though I felt the ending was lacking (why, exactly, did the Astor family lose their grip on Manhattan hotels?), and there were bits and pieces that just came out of nowhere and didn't seem to add to the story-line, I still learned quite a bit about the Astor hotel empire. And a bonus star for the smattering of Titanic trivia that I hadn't heard before when it came to the death of John Jacob Astor IV. Although not a part of the actual plot, my takeaway was an old, but still true, maxim: money doesn't make you happy. Three stars. {Amazon Associates Link}

While I didn't read as many books this month as I did the previous months, I still met my goal of (at least) four books a month, and surpassed it by one. I have several books in progress at the moment that are keeping me entertained, but I didn't finish any of them in time to include in this round-up. So tell me, what's on your nightstand these days? What are you reading? Paperback or Kindle or both? 

And for those who are keeping track, my "Books to Remember" list is up to 142 books added to the list so far this year. :) If you're curious what's on my list so far, you can see it here.

There's No Time For That (A Common Fallacy)

When I set my goals for 2024, I decided to challenge myself to read forty-eight books over the course of twelve months. Not quite one book a week. I wasn't sure if I could do it. After all, life is busy. I homeschool the four kids still living at home (three of them teenagers), and when school is done I Uber them to taekwondo, band, music lessons, babysitting, cleaning jobs, and more. When I'm not driving kids around or instructing them in the "three R's," I'm checking on my parents, helping my eldest navigate the waters of adulthood, filling a grocery cart to feed my family, making meals, hosting friends, doing laundry, supporting my husband, or squeezing in a few hours a week of proofreading to help pay for it all. A clean kitchen? What's that? 

Photo by Robert Bye on Unsplash

So when I decided to aim for almost one book a week this year, I was a bit skeptical about the reality of that happening. But what I found was that I actually had quite a bit of dead space in my day between all those events. Waiting for kids? I've got time to read if I'm not running to the grocery. Everyone busy with their studies? I pull out my book at the teacher's desk, pausing to answer questions when they come. Rather than wasting time on social media first thing in the morning or at the end of the day, I now open a book or my Kindle app and "scroll" through the pages before starting the day or falling asleep. 

The point is...we have time for the things we want to have time for. 

Last month I made the decision to limit my scrolling on Instagram to one hour on Saturdays. I didn't think it would make that much of a difference, but the results have been stunning. Not only am I on my phone less, but I'm more productive in general, in addition to knocking my monthly reading goals out of the park. So before you say "I don't have time to do that," take an honest look at your day, track your phone time, and pay attention to how you spend your hours. You may be busy - in fact, you probably are - but make sure you're busy with the right things, the things that will help you meet and exceed your goals, simple or otherwise.